Yamaha Guitars Take Center Stage at GFA Convention

YAMAHA GUITARS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT GFA CONVENTION

BUENA PARK, CA (October 18, 2001)—Yamaha Guitars played a major role at this year's Guitar Foundation of America (GFA) International Guitar Convention and Competition, held October 1-6 in La Jolla, California, as both a corporate sponsor and exhibitor at the annual event.

Since 1973, the GFA has provided educational, reference and performance resources for classical and serious guitarists worldwide. The GFA Convention provides this community with an outlet for research, products and performances with a week-long series of clinics, master classes, lectures, workshops and recitals. This year's theme was Voices of the Guitar: Ancient and Modern [In Memory of Joaquin Rodrigo].

Michael Chapdelaine, acoustic guitar virtuoso and educator, provided both serious music and a lighthearted performance for the GFA closing concert and awards ceremony.

According to David Bergstrom, director of marketing, Combo Group, products exhibited included instruments from the company's Handcrafted line, the Grand Concert Series (models GC70 and GC71—completely handmade by Yamaha's finest luthiers in the Hamamatsu, Japan custom shop), and the Handcrafted Concert Series (models GC21, GC31 and GC41, targeted to the serious student and professional). "This conference is a great opportunity for a group of serious players to get a first-hand look at the quality and workmanship of Yamaha guitars," Bergstrom noted.

Yamaha also sponsored the performance of acoustic guitar virtuoso and educator Michael Chapdelaine during the closing concert and International Solo Guitar Competition awards ceremony, Saturday, October 6, in the hall of Saint James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church. Chapdelaine, who had won the competition as a student, displayed his skill on a selection of Yamaha acoustic-electric guitars and lightened the mood for the conservative audience—by performing a solo on rollerblades.

Gunnan Eisel, Executive Director of GFA, commented, "Yamaha Guitars, through its longstanding commitment to guitar education, has played a significant role in the global acceptance and appreciation of the guitar and its music."

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Guitar Products, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamahaguitars.com.

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